We are doing science for policy

The Joint Research Centre (JRC) is the European Commission's science and knowledge service which employs scientists to carry out research in order to provide independent scientific advice and support to EU policy.

Research

Our scientific work supports a whole host of EU policies in a variety of areas from agriculture and food security, to environment and climate change, as well as nuclear safety and security and innovation and growth.

Our research topics give a deeper insight into that support of EU policy, while you can also discover the unique laboratories and facilities where our scientists work.

News & Events

Our news gives you an insight into our support of EU policy and highlights the scientific research carried out everyday within the European Commission.

You can also sign up for our monthly newsletter for all the latest information directly to your inbox and check out our events for opportunities to participate. Or check out our photos and videos for an instant look at the world of science at the European Commission.

A global index to monitor climate-resilient development

A recently published JRC report makes recommendations on the creation of a global index to monitor the progress of climate-resilient development policies. The index should include metrics on extreme climate events, climate vulnerability and adaptive capacity, taking into account the climate vulnerability of ecosystem services and the role of natural resources in climate adaptation. As a first step towards building the index, JRC scientists propose to construct a platform which will act as interface between science and policy on climate-resilient development.

The platform will bring together global indicators and concepts for climate-resilient and low-carbon development. It will provide transparent, objective, reliable, accurate, and open source information on natural hazards related to climate change, vulnerability, adaptive capacity, mitigation and resilience. It will allow the users to select indicators and mathematical formulae for building their own index according to their political objectives. This could be a first step to building a fit-for-purpose index.

A workshop to be held in autumn 2014 will lay the foundations for such a platform, bringing together scientists, experts and practitioners in the fields of climate change, disaster risk management and development.

A global climate-resilient development index would help to identify countries, groups of people, and sectors most seriously threatened by climate change, and to put in place targeted policy actions. The study highlighted the need for international efforts to help ensure the transparency, quality and consistency of climate data, their coverage and time span, particularly in developing countries whose populations are the most vulnerable to climate change. The study was carried out following recommendations of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC).

The authors reviewed the main metrics used to assess and manage climate change risk, namely the Global Climate Risk Index, the World Risk index, the Notre Dame Global Adaptation Index, the Center for Global Development Index and the Climate Vulnerability Monitor/Index. The report identifies key issues to be addressed in order to create a global index for climate-resilient development.